List of best-selling albums in the United States
More than or equal to 20 million copies

Year
Artist
Album
Label
Shipments (Sales)
Certification
1976
Eagles
Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)
Asylum
38,000,000
38× Platinum
1982
Michael Jackson
Thriller
Epic
33,000,000
33× Platinum
1976
Eagles
Hotel California
Asylum
26,000,000
26× Platinum
1971
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV
Atlantic
23,000,000
23× Platinum
1980
AC/DC
Back in Black
Atlantic
22,000,000
22× Platinum
1977
Fleetwood Mac
Rumours
Warner Bros.
20,000,000
20× Platinum

Question: What was the best-selling album in the U.S. before Michael Jackson's Thriller, and for how long did it hold this record?
Answer: Their Greatest Hits was the best-selling album in the United States, and it stayed the best-selling album in the U.S. for some years (1971–1975), until it was surpassed by Michael Jackson's Thriller.